Some hearing aids provide adjustable operational modes or characteristics that improve the performance of the hearing aid for a specific person or in a specific environment. Some of the operational characteristics are on/off, volume control, tone control, and selective signal input. One way to control these characteristics is by a manually engagable switch on the hearing aid.
Some hearing aids include both a non-directional microphone and a directional microphone in a single hearing aid. When a person is talking to someone in a crowded room the hearing aid can be switched to the directional microphone in an attempt to directionally focus the reception of the hearing aid and prevent amplification of unwanted sounds from the surrounding environment. Some hearing aids include a manually-actuated switch. Actuation of these switches can be inconvenient and difficult, especially for those with impaired finger dexterity.
The volume for some hearing aids is adjusted using magnetically activated switches that are controlled by holding magnetic actuators adjacent to the hearing aids. Actuation of these switches can be inconvenient because a person is required to have the magnetic actuator available to change the volume.
With respect to telephone use, some hearing aids have an input which receives the electromagnetic voice signal directly from the voice coil of a telephone instead of receiving the acoustic signal emanating from the telephone speaker. Conventionally, a telephone handset provides an electromagnetic voice signal to only one ear. Thus, only a single hearing aid of a two hearing aid system is in use with a telephone handset. Moreover, the hearing aid that is not receiving the signal from the telephone handset continues to amplify signals from the surrounding environment that may interfere with the wearer's ability to hear the desired telephone signal.
There is a need in the art to provide improved systems, devices and methods for providing improved systems and methods for selectively coupling hearing aids to electromagnetic fields such as that produced by telephone coils.